


Problems and Obstacles

by beckettlovescastlealways



Category: Beetlejuice - Perfect/Brown & King
Genre: Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Lydia's parents are trying their best, Non-Chronological, beetlejuice will make an appearance, but mostly ghosts and breathers, just a bunch of loosely connected oneshots, not all of them but yeah definitely angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:41:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29056860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beckettlovescastlealways/pseuds/beckettlovescastlealways
Summary: A series of oneshots surrounding the Maitland-Deetz household and their strange and unusual family
Relationships: Adam Maitland/Barbara Maitland, Charles Deetz & Delia Deetz & Lydia Deetz & Adam Maitland & Barbara Maitland, Charles Deetz/Delia Deetz, Lydia Deetz/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

The door smashing open breaks the silence of the house. Adam and Barbara look at each other, no one should be home for hours, before both go downstairs. The figure in the kitchen is very wet, shuffling and limping, sniffling as they open the freezer. “Lydia?” Adam asks unnecessarily, the figure drops a bag of peas, “You should be in school. What are you-” he’s cut off by a gasp from his wife, the girl had looked up revealing a rapidly blackening eye and cheek, a pair of cuts bleeding into her eyebrow and cheek, and a split lip covering her chin with blood too. She’s leaning heavily to one side, holding her right hand to her chest and is soaked.

Lydia is crying and tries to talk “I’m sorry,” she forces out, “I-I... it, sorry.”

Barbara shushes her, quickly walking up to the girl, placing one hand on her shoulder and the other softly cupping her cheek, “It’s okay, hey, let’s get you cleaned up,” she looks over to Adam who nods, before going upstairs for a towel, Barbara grabbing a paper towel, getting the girl to sit, wetting it before carefully dabbing at the cuts and blood, first the one above her eye then cheek, grabbing the bag of peas from the floor, wrapping it in a towel before handing it to Lydia, “Ice your eye, honey,” she asks as the girl continues crying, rubbing her shoulder trying to soothe her.

Adam comes back down with a towel as his wife starts on Lydia’s lip, “What happened Lyd?” he demands noticing her hand is red and looking to be bruising, a few small cuts on the side of her neck.

“I-” the girl begins before the door slams open again.

“Lydia Deetz!” Charles storms into the house, “What is this I hear about you fighting at school!”

“Dad,” Lydia says weakly, her voice hoarse.

The anger fueling Charles seemed to drop away when he sees his daughter, “Lydia…” he sighs seeing his daughters two dead parents had started cleaning her up, “Go get changed,” he looks at Adam and Barbara before looking back at his daughter, “Delia will be home soon then we need to talk about this.”

The girl nods before slowly getting off the stool, sucking a breath in when she steps on her left leg before going upstairs.

“What happened Charles?” Adam asks as they hear the door shut upstairs.

“Her principal called, she was in a fight with three other girls, she’s suspended til next Tuesday.”

“Lydia fighting?” Barbara frowns, looking up the stairs, “That doesn’t sound like her.”

“I don’t know,” Charles sighs, “Did she tell you guys anything?”

“No, she got home only a little before you and hasn’t said much,” Adam says, “We were trying to clean her up.”

They stop talking as the door opens revealing Delia. Before she can say anything Lydia’s door opens and the 16 year old slowly comes down the stairs, the limp more prominent without her boots on, her ankle seems to be swelling on her left leg.

“Let’s sit,” Charles motions to the table, tossing the makeshift ice pack of peas towards the teen softly who tries to catch it with her left hand only to drop it, hitting her right hand while fumbling with it, whining softly before moving to pick it up. Lydia sits at the end of the table, not really looking at any of them, Charles sits at the other end, Delia sits beside her fiancé, Adam and Barbara sitting opposite of them, “What happened, Lydia?” he demands, “Why were you fighting at school?”

“I wasn’t fighting.” Lydia mumbles, holding the peas to her face, “It’s nothing.”

“You’ve been suspended for 5 days Lydia, this isn’t nothing. What happened?” Charles demands, his voice stricter.

“Nothing, there was a fight. Why does this have to be more than that.” Lydia huffs looking at her hand, a few tears forming in her eyes.

“Lydia,” Barbara begins moving her hand to touch the teens hand only for her to pull away, holding her hand to her chest, dropping the peas on the table. The ghost frowns but continues, “Talk to us, this isn’t like you.”

“I didn’t touch them,” Lydia looks down, rubbing her forehead with her left hand, “It’s just a fight, please.”

“Let’s all just take a breath,” Delia breaks in, “I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable reason.”

“Well?” Charles demands looking to his fiancee then his daughter, moving his eyes to his daughter’s ghost parents before looking at the girl again, “What happened, Lydia?

The girl looks up, glancing at the Maitlands first opening her mouth for a second before slamming it shut, before turning to Delia and doing the same before looking at her father, her jaw visibly locking, staring him in the eye, the adults see a few tears forming before her eyes seem to go dead, “I got in a fight. Can we drop it? What’s my punishment?”

“Lyd…” Adam tries to start pushing once more

“Please! I don’t care! Just punish me! I don’t care! It was just a fight!” Lydia yells pushing herself to her feet, “It was just a fight!” she repeats before storming upstairs, slamming her bedroom door.

Charles sighs looking at the ghosts in the room, “She’ll have to stay here during the day, I’m grounding her for that time.” He runs his hand through his hair, “Maybe she’ll talk to you guys eventually,“ He looks at the clock, “I need to go back to work, my lunch is almost up.” he says grabbing his coat before leaving the house.

“I… I have to go, clay in the kiln,” Delia offers softly, standing up to go, “I’m sorry.”

Then the only ones still in the house are the ghosts and the goth in her room.

Sighing, Barbara looks at her husband, “There’s something more going on with her, this isn’t just a fight.”

“I know Hun but, if she’s not gonna tell us what can we do?” Adam sighs, running his hand through his hair as she lays her head on his shoulder.

“She doesn’t want to talk, huh?” Barbara sighs again, sniffing slightly. Before she sits up, hearing a slight squeak from a door upstairs, and can hear Lydia crying again, “She still needs us though.”

“Should we both try or…?”

Barbara shakes her head, “I...think I got her, no need to overwhelm her.” She walks back to the kitchen getting two more ice packs before going upstairs, following the crying to the bathroom, knocking twice “Can I come in Lyd?” The sobbing stops for a second, Barbara counts to five before she sees the doorknob turn slightly, the door cracking open, entering the room she sees the girl who is her daughter sitting on the floor, her knees hiding her face as she cries.

“I’m sorry,” the teen murmurs.

The ghost kneels down to her level, running her hand through the girl’s hair, wiping the tears off her cheeks, making the girl’s bruised eye look up at her, “Come on sweetie, let’s finish getting you cleaned up, looks like you hurt your hand and ankle.”

Helping the girl stand before sitting on the edge of the bathtub, Barbara grabbing the first aid kit from the cupboard, gently holding the girl’s swelling hand to slowly wrap it tight, smiling softly at the sniffling girl before carefully doing the same to the girl’s rapidly swelling ankle, cleaning the cut’s on the girl’s neck and putting butterfly bandages on the cut on her cheek, “Are you hurt anywhere else?”

Lydia bites her lip and looks down, nodding slightly, but doesn’t move to show the ghost.

“Can I see?” Barbara asks softly.

Lydia shakes her head, bringing her arm over her stomach, “No!”

“Come on Lyd, I just need to make sure you’re okay sweetie. I promise it’s okay.”

“Please… I don’t want you to hate me.” The girl begs pulling away from her ghost mom.

“Lydia, what are you talking about? I love you. So does Adam, and Delia, and your father, we don’t hate you.” she rubs the girl’s shoulder, “We love you, no matter what.”

Lydia shakes her head, “Please no.”

Barbara frowns then nods, “Okay,” she gives in hesitantly before smiling softly, “We’re always here when you need us.” Lydia nods perhaps slower than necessary. “Come on, let’s get you some food Sweetie. Then we can ice your eye and ankle and look at your wrist too, okay?”

“I...I’m gonna shower then sleep, I’m sorry.” Lydia frowns, not meeting the ghost’s eyes. 

Just then the doorbell rings. Lydia sighs as she stands up limping her way downstairs, opening the door as both Adam and Barbara look on, Adam from the kitchen and Barbara from the stairs, “Alex?” Lydia smiles slightly before seeing the shape the other girl is in, Adam and Barbara both let out a gasp, the girl’s face is equally if not more bruised and cut up as Lydia’s, there’s a word written mostly under the girl’s bangs.

The girl pushes in past Lydia, “What the hell were you thinking, Lydia?” the latina demands, Lydia closes the door, suddenly very aware of the ghosts right beside her as if to protect her if necessary, “Why the fuck would you put yourself on their radar?”

“Did you get in trouble?” The goth asks instead of answering.

“No, but you did. What the fuck were you thinking getting involved?”

“They were hurting you.”

“Dia,” The mystery girl sighs moving towards the goth, cupping her bruised cheek. Adam moves his hand as if to stop her touching Lydia, his touch is stopped by Barbara, seeing the girl lean into the touch. “They’re not going to leave you alone if they see us hanging out together.”

Lydia looks over, silently begging the ghosts to leave, “What are you saying Alejandra?” she demands, “This was nothing.”

“They were beating you. That wasn’t a fight Dia, that was you getting beaten up.”

“Lydia, what is she talking about?” Adam demands frowning. His wife shushes him grabbing his hand and taking both of them upstairs, still looking down on the girls but out of their living daughter’s view. “Barbara,” he asks shocked, “What are you doing?”

Barbara rolls her eyes and motions down to the girls, “Look,” she motions, the two teens are kissing. The brunette is the one to break it off before letting out a slight sob moving past the goth, leaving the house. Lydia seems to freeze a moment before quickly moving upstairs, trying to push past the ghosts, only for them to gently grab her arms, “Lyd,” 

Lydia pulls away, cutting Barbra off, looking at them, trying to hold back tears, “I’m so sorry,” she breathes pulling at her arm trying to get away, gasping and swallowing hard, trying to make herself stop crying repeatedly apologizing. Shushing softly Barbara and Adam both pull her close hugging her as she sobs.

Eventually the girl calms down, “Come on sweetheart,” Adam stands, his hand on the teens back, rubbing it softly, “Let’s go talk.” Barbara nods, smiling softly at Lydia. The ghosts guide her downstairs, motioning for the girl to sit, Adam quickly setting water to boil, and making some tea, allowing Lydia even longer to fully collect herself, Barbara sitting beside her on the couch, rubbing her arm softly.

Lydia takes the tea trying to ignore her hands shaking, she did not want this to be how they found out, “So…”

“What’s going on Lyd?” Adam asks softly, sitting in the chair beside the teen.

“Me and Alejandra are… were kinda seeing each other, now I don’t know,” She murmurs looking into the tea not meeting either of her ghost parents eyes, “Janet and her cronies, they were hurting Alex, I punched Janet…”She lifts her hand, “They got mad and… honestly wasn’t much of a fight… Emily choked me, they kicked me. When Ms. Nelson came in Janet said I hit her first and… yeah. That’s kinda it.”

“Seeing each other as in dating?” Adam asks just to be clear, “You like girls?”

“Yes, no, I don’t know I’m… shenmade me happy though. I’m sorry. Please don’t hate me. I’m so sorry. Don’t tell dad or Delia, please.” she curls away from her ghost mom’s touch, putting the tea down and trying to move away from Adam too.

“Lydia, sweetheart,” Adam begins, “We don’t hate you.”

“You don’t?” Lydia asks softly looking between the two.

“Of course not,” Barbara smiles softly grabbing the girl’s non injured hand, rubbing it softly with her thumb. She smiles softly “We love you, that’s not going to change no matter who you’re dating. We just want you to be happy, your dad and Delia certainly want the same for you.”

“Please don’t tell them. I just… I wanted to figure this out myself but…” she half heartedly laughs lifting her hurt hand “Guess that doesn’t get to be my choice.”

“Hey, of course we won’t, it’s totally up to you Lyd.” Adam answers, running his hand through her hair trying to calm her, “We’ll talk to Charles, make it clear you weren’t at fault for the fight. You know fighting is not okay but this was, we’re not punishing you for getting beat up.”

“If you ever need to talk, or whatever when you’re trying to figure this out, we’re here, all of us just want you happy and safe.” Barbara reminds the girl.

“Thank you,” Lydia smiles slightly, hugging Adam then Barbara, “Love you guys.”

“You still want to sleep?” Barbara asks softly.

“Can we just… Idk do something?” she smiles, “maybe a movie?”

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Her ghost mom nods, moving over for the teen to scoot over, Adam using ghostly powers to turn on the tv before sitting beside Lydia, the girl rests her head on Barbara’s shoulder, her eye swelling to the point it’s easier to close then keep open. As the movie begins her other eye slowly closes.

Half an hour later Barbra notices the girl’s breath has evened out, “Turn it down Adam,” she motions to the sleeping girl.

“What are we gonna do Barbara, what if these girls don’t stop? I don’t want her to be hurt.” Adam drops his head into his hands, “We can’t protect her, can we?”

“We’re ghosts, if they come near here we can but otherwise, I don’t think so, just be there for her?” she sighs, running her hand over the girl’s hair.

“Let’s let her sleep,” Adam sighs, “Get ready to tell Charles it was… idk if we explain it was beating up she’ll have to come out but idk, she shouldn’t have punched them at all but I mean what would you have done?”

“Yeah,” Barbara catches the girl’s head in her hands, slowly standing and lying her head on the pillow on the couch, Adam putting the teen’s legs up on the couch, laying a blanket over the girl. Barbara looks at the tv, turning it off and closing the house blinds, “We’ll figure it out.” She promises herself more than Adam. She then motions upstairs her and Adam returning to the attic, awaiting the others to return home.


	2. Chapter 2

“Adam? Barbara?” Lydia calls, coming up to the attic, trying to ignore her shaking. She steals her nerves to tell the ghosts. Her dad and Delia had been gone for 2 weeks and wouldn’t be back from their honeymoon for over two more.

“Over here, Lydia.” Barbara’s voice comes from the far corner of the attic. The ghosts are playing cribbage, taking any chance to push off telling them she sits on the couch Barbara is sitting on, her thoughts so loud that she doesn’t realize she was fidgeting. Unthinking she starts scratching at her forearm. She tries to focus but everything is just too heavy and she’s just tired and numb and wanting everything to be done. She knows she should just tell them but it’s so… where does she start?

“You okay, Lyd?” Adam asks, looking towards her arm, seeing her scratching has gotten to the point her skin is reddening. His wife frowns, grabbing the girl’s wrist to stop her from hurting herself.

“Yeah, just tired,” the teen nods once. She waits til they’re not paying attention again, or at least not looking directly at her, “I don’t really know why for sure and I thought I was over it but i’ve been feeling really depressed again lately and it’s gotten bad.” The shift is instant, they both put their cards down and are looking towards her, she starts rambling, “I’ve been trying to ignore it and just be over it but it just won’t stop. And it’s gotten back to the point that I’ve started wanting to hurt myself again and last time it got to…” she only stops herself because she doesn’t want to worry them more by using the word suicidal, “I just want it to stop, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry and just… can’t stop it.” She pulls her knees up to her chest, burying her face to not see them, she knows this is stupid, she knows she should just deal with it, she’s forcing herself not to cry cause that’d just be one more way she’s fucked up.

“Lyd,” Adam starts shifting to get closer despite the table, moving to touch her leg, unsure exactly how to help but trying to get the girl to look at them.

Barbara puts her arm around the teen’s shoulders, squeezing tightly. Lydia leans against her, the girl’s resistance to crying drops as she breaks in the ghost’s arms. What starts as a few tears rapidly turns to heavy sobs, the numbness that’s been keeping the feelings at bay and it’s like she’s drowning in sadness and hopelessness.

Barbara shifts to more properly hug the girl, slightly rocking her and shushing her, unable to do anything else to help her adopted daughter. Adam stands and moves to the couch, rubbing her back. The ghosts look at each other, any further discussion or help can be done after she finishes crying, but neither are sure of the next step.

After almost ten minutes Lydia’s breathing evens out a bit more, enough to pull away from Barbara a bit but not far enough to fully leave either ghosts’ touch. Lydia feels their eyes on her, “I haven’t hurt myself this time,” she rolls her sleeves up to show the scars, many in unorganized patches, few in a much more organized pattern, longer and straight. The one that knocks the breath out of the ghosts is the ones that spell out ‘invisible’ and ‘alone’. However none are fresh, “But I really want to and… it’s bad, I’m sorry.”

The Maitland’s are at a loss what to do next, how exactly to help their adoptive daughter. “Does your father know?” Adam figures that’s a good place to start.

Lydia shakes her head resolutely, the idea of him knowing almost making her sick with worry, “Please don’t tell him.”

“Lydia,” Barbara doesn’t see them keeping it secret going well at all.

“I can’t, please don’t make me.” Lydia pulls away from both of them curling more into herself.

“We can’t keep this from him Lyd,” Adam argues, “you need help and there’s only so much we can do, he needs to know.”

Lydia tenses more, wanting out of there, she can’t have her dad know, “Please don’t.” turning to make sure they can’t see her and that their looks won’t break her down again.

“Sweetie, look at me,” Barbara says as firmly and gently as she could. Carefully forcing the girl to turn her head when she didn’t, rubbing the tears from the girl’s face, “Have you been thinking about worse? Hurting yourself permanently?” The ghost balks at using the word suicide, unable to imagine the girl joining them in death any time soon, let alone that way.

“Not this time,” Lydia admits in a small voice.

“But you have before?” She says more than asks.

Lydia nods once, “Beetl-“ they all tense and Lydia can’t say his name on the off chance it summons him, “He stopped me, I was going to then he stopped me.”

None of them are sure exactly what to make of that fact, “You’ll come to us if and when you need us, and especially if you start feeling worse?”

“I will, I swear.” She knows she’ll try but it’s so hard and she’s such a burden. Hell look at her now she’s wasting their time because she can’t get over this stupid numbness and she’s sitting there sobbing like a fucking baby.

“We’re gonna be keeping an eye on you, okay?” Adam tells her.

“And you do need to tell your father. And soon,” Barbara tells her, “But as long as you promise to tell him, and soon, ultimately it’s your right to tell him on your own time.”

“I will.” Lydia promises, all energy she had was sapped out of her, “I’m so tired,” she admits softly, “I just want to sleep,” ‘forever’ she almost adds, knowing it’ll worry them further.

“You haven’t been sleeping.” Ghosts don’t need sleep so they’ve both heard the teen’s tossing and turning.

“Nightmares again,” Lydia confesses

Barbara and Adam had both helped the teen sleep several times over the last year, keeping watch, comforting, and distracting her depending on the night. Delia had given the girl a pouch of crystals and hung a dream catcher to help ward off the nightmares. Charles had taken her to the doctor to get the proper medication to at least get her to sleep. Nothing seemed to work as well as someone being near. “How about you rest up here then?”

“Aren’t you guys doing stuff?” She’s already bothered them so much today.

“Nope, just going to start this puzzle,” Adam taps it once as Barbara moves to let the goth lay down, grabbing a blanket and pillow, “We’ll be around.”

Lydia is so tired she falls asleep almost instantly, her sleeve still curled up and the sharp words of ‘invisible’ and ‘alone’ glaring at them as they both think about how best to help fade the not so physical scars the girl is too young to have.


End file.
